Cracks in the Interior Walls

Cracks in your interior basement walls are a possible symptom of foundation problems that may require repair, but not necessarily.

Some basement wall cracks occur simply due to concrete shrinkage from when the home was built. If these hairline cracks aren’t leaking or getting larger, then most likely there’s no problem to be concerned about.

If the crack is large, or the basement wall is bulging and/or bowing, this could be a symptom of a more serious problem.

Look Out for Warning Signs

Here are a few things to look at to try to understand the problem:

• Is the floor on either side (or both sides) of the wall uneven or sloping?
• Have windows and/or doors in the home started to stick or open/close improperly?
• Have you noticed stair-step cracks in the exterior wall near the interior wall with the crack?
• Have you seen or is there evidence of water leaking through the crack?

If you discover any of these warning signs, you may require a professional contractor to perform an inspection. An expert can help determine what’s causing these symptoms and how to tackle the source of the problem.

Possible Causes of Interior Wall Cracks

There are two possible causes for cracks in interior walls. Commonly, these cracks occur because of uneven settling of the foundation and hydrostatic pressure from saturated soil pressing against the outside foundation walls.

Movement of the foundation tends to be because of changes to the soil beneath the foundation. Some examples include soil compaction and soil displacement by groundwater.

As you may have noticed, water is generally a culprit when it comes to interior wall crack problems. Here are a few quick tips that will help:

• Keep your gutters and downspouts functioning properly. Regularly clean them to ensure they continue moving water away from the foundation.
• Check your grading. Make sure surface water drains away from the foundation instead of pooling near the house.
• Do not plant trees too close to the house. Roots can potentially damage the foundation.

Call on the Experts at ’58!

’58 Foundations & Waterproofing has been helping homeowners like you since 1958! From foundation repair and basement waterproofing to crawlspace encapsulation and mold removal, we have the experts to keep your home dry and your foundation strong. Over the decades, we’ve been continually perfecting our methods. Using our quality products like our ’58 Strong Helical Piers to stabilize foundations, we’ve helped thousands of homes in standing strong for years and years. If groundwater is a part of the problem, our ’58 basement waterproofing system will keep that water moving away from your home using specially-engineered products such as our Channel ’58 drainage channels. We’re also proud to back our work with an industry-leading lifetime warranty! To schedule for a free inspection and price quote, contact us today! We have local offices all throughout the Eastern Seaboard. Whether you live near Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA, or Johnson City, TN, you can rest easy knowing that ’58 is there to help!